Season Nights
by YumeMori
Summary: Kyrian of Thrace/Kagome pairing. One-shot. Ten months, sometimes all it took was ten months to fall in love with someone, even if they were kept apart by the worlds they inhabited.


**Disclaimer:** I claim no ownership of _Sengoku Otogizoushi - InuYasha_ nor the _Dark Hunter_ series. _Inuyasha_ belongs to Takahashi Rumiko, Shogakukan, Viz Media, ShoPro Entertainment, and Shounen; while the _Dark Hunter_ series belongs to Sherrilyn Kenyon. No profit of any kind is made from this fan-created crossover.  
**Warnings:** set post Inuyasha manga (Kagome never returns); set pre-Kyrian's book  
**Word count:** 3040

* * *

**Title:**_** Season Nights**__**  
Higurashi Kagome/Kyrian of Thrace  
**_

"Searching for you from within the twilight."  
Written as a one-shot gift-fic for ashslady  
(I am so sorry this is coming out a few days late..)

* * *

It had been a muggy spring evening when he first saw her.

Never before had a normal human caught his eyes in such a way. Kyrian had sensed her long before he saw her step into view, and his hand strayed to one of his weapons. He had never sensed a normal human, he could only sense when Daimons were near. Yet _that_, what he sensed, had been entirely different.

It was warmth and comfort, friendly smiles in a summer breeze. It was safety and mother, the thrill of victory wrapped in golden spoils. Not fear and danger, neither cold warmth or dark nights. It was not slime and greed, not frantic desperation and need.

And then she had come into view causing his hand to fall from his weapon of choice that night. She didn't have blonde hair, in fact it was dark enough to blend into the night; nor did she wear dark clothes or leather, she was actually dressed quite brightly, in what he could only assume were fitting colors for a young woman to wear in spring. Keeping up on the latest fashions wasn't entirely worth his time, despite the women he often found himself entangled with in nearly every less than pleasurable way. And he was certain that were he to remove her top to see what he couldn't of her chest, she would have no black spots.

Even without that, Kyrian just _knew_ she wasn't a Daimon. If she was, then she was a freak of nature even to them.

Yet as she passed by him in his little hiding spot that he had fallen back into in order to surprise the unsuspecting Daimon before he knew better and now just to watch her walk by, she paused. Her head tilted to the side before she glanced over to where he was hiding, a confused and curious look flashing across pale eyes. He pressed back against the wall as much as he could even though he knew she couldn't see him in any way. But there she was, looking at him without seeing.

She had sighed and shook her head. "So odd... I could've sworn I saw someone." She had given his hiding spot one last lingering gaze, seemingly trying to figure out where he was. Then she had shrugged and she was off once again.

It was two weeks later when he finally had enough courage to not hide from her. Her aura, her soul... They had been too large and too pure, it was a wonder inkblots weren't crawling all over her in an attempt to suck out her soul. She had been curiously confounding.

But she had paused when she saw him, much like she had their first unofficial encounter, and had looked at him in the same bemused manner. She had looked but could not quite see, it had seemed. "Good evening," she had said, her voice small and unsure.

He had quickly hidden the blades covered in blood from the night's earlier hunt, though he was certain she had caught the slight of hand. "And to you. You know, these streets are dangerous to be walking alone, looking so pretty."

She had smiled, some of her wariness drifting away. "Ah, yes, all the _vampires_ and _ghosts_ that haunt the streets. I'm sure I can handle whatever comes my way." There had been a certain twinkle to her eyes and a certain tone in the way with which she spoke of such childish things.

He had already established that she wasn't a normal human, not with that kind of soul, though it still surprised him.

She had walked closer then/ "You've been here the past few nights, haven't you?"

Kyrian had tried to appear nonchalant. "I usually am. Fastest way home for me, and for most others. Haven't seen you though, I know: there's no way I'd risk letting someone as lovely as you be bit by one of those... _Vampires_." He had smirked, kindly he hoped, though it had been a very long time since he interacted in any normal way with a woman. It had been a long time he had fully enjoyed a woman's company, period.

She had laughed. "Then you must be some kind of dark protector." She had been close enough that he could see her eye his black leather. "A black knight to save helpless young women... Though I wonder who will save me from your charm?"

That time he had grinned, though he had been smart enough to not reveal his fangs. "I think your wit will do the job. Shall we, young damsel?" Kyrian had extended a hand toward the road in front of her. A knight was a far cry from the famed Macedonian general he had been, but that was another life. A black knight saving her from other creatures that go bump in the night seemed somewhat better than a general who had nearly conquered the entirety of the ancient Western world. Far less like a glory-hound, at least.

Her eyes took on their old wary look for just a moment before she had smiled somewhat coyly. "What kind of woman would I be if I accepted without knowing your name? Knight or not."

He had wagged a finger at her in a teasing manner. "See? I told you your wit would save you." She had rolled her eyes, not as impressed as he had thought she would be. "Kyrian. My name's Kyrian. And yours?"

"Kagome." She had smiled, deliberately holding back her last name. She was street-smart, he had to give her that. A first name for a first name.

* * *

Summer nights came at the same time he realized he had a crush on her.

Had Nick or any of the other Dark Hunters figured that out, they would have had a field day with it. He, Kyrian of Thrace, Macedonian General and over two-thousand years old, had a _crush_ like a little school boy! It was something better left unknown to anyone else he knew.

Other Dark Hunters and squires would tease him mercilessly like the children they were, and inkblots and other enemies would be more than willing to use it against him. The latter had no clue he had long ago learned to put attachments in the back of his mind during battle. And he had also learned long ago that women were not to be trusted, not after the love of his life betrayed him and was the cause of his death.

But he couldn't feel that way toward Kagome.

Perhaps it was her aura, perhaps it was her soul, perhaps it was her smiles, perhaps it was her open nature. Maybe, even, it was all of them and more. She had that way about her that spoke of how easily she gained friends and trust. And he knew she could be trusted; she wasn't the kind to betray or lie easily. She was too loyal and giving, and witty, too. It was all of it that kept him returning most every night to walk her to her home.

It wasn't as if he had much else to do most nights. Even if he did, the hour he got to spend with her was well worth a little slacking in his duties. He had been paying for his one act of vengeance to Artemis for centuries, even longer than some of the other Dark Hunters, and had been doing a damn fine job, in his humble opinion. He deserved a little break and a little bending of the rules...

Well, maybe he was doing a bit more than _bending_ the rules.

His crush proved it, and he hadn't even touched her in any dirty way. _Yet_, his mind supplied though he tried to ignore it. Kagome wasn't a woman to be used and then tossed aside, as they were encouraged to keep sexual relations to one-nighters. He wanted to, but couldn't bring himself to.

Oh yeah, he definitely had it bad.

Soon, he supposed, he would start babbling off poetic verses about how the streetlights reflected off her hair enough to show the blue sheen to it. Or the way he loved how her eyes lit up when talking about her family. Or the way he loved how the wind would come up and ruffle her skirts just enough for him to see her lovely toned thighs and sometimes see the color of her panties. It honestly wasn't his fault she enjoyed such decadently short skirts.

And then there had been the _incident_ that made him fall for her just that much harder. Perhaps he enjoyed a woman who could hold her own and had some brains a bit more than he would openly admit.

It had happened during one of the later summer nights as he was walking her home. He had sensed the Daimon early enough to know that they were heading straight for it. He had tried and tried to direct her on another course to her house, as he would be unable to use any of his powers in front of a normal human. He could only do so much with weapons if there was more than one nearby. Though he had little qualms about consorting and developing an attachment to a normal human, he wasn't suicidal enough to break a much larger rule about using his gifts in front of a human. There was a very good reason why that rule existed.

Daimons and Dark Hunters didn't exist, after all. Vampires and Dark Knights, however, were figments of legends. None existed in the real world.

Not openly, at least.

Yet she had continued on their normal way, unnoticing and uncaring of the very real threat they had been walking toward. It hadn't come as a surprise when the Daimon attacked, nor had it been a surprise that Kagome fell into the background. What had been a surprise though was when all she had to do was touch the Daimon's chest to burn him and free the souls. He had used that distraction to kill the Daimon with a blade to the chest.

Golden ash had fallen between them.

He had stared. She had looked away, guilt clear on her face. But she hadn't been scared nor had she asked questions.

"Who are you really?" He had narrowed his eyes, not missing a single non-verbal clue from her. "Sent to make sure I'm not stepping a toe out of line? Or were you sent by those inkblots to get close enough to kill me?"

"Neither," she had said, her voice soft. "I don't know what those 'inkblots' are, and I don't know what you are, so I don't know what rules you mean." Kagome had paused before looking up at him, her eyes possibly as hard as his, "I could ask the same question. You aren't human, and I thought you were a ghost of some kind... But now I know you're not." She had reached forward then and her fingertips poked against his chest, and she had smiled. "Definitely not a ghost."

She had been either a very good actress, or she really hadn't known, in his opinion. "Ghost?" he had asked.

"Yes, ghost." She had nodded, a thoughtful look taking over her face. "You have no soul... Ah, that doesn't make much sense either! Ghosts, as everyone knows, are just souls. So what would you be?"

Kyrian had chuckled then. "A Dark Hunter." He had winked. "What are you, then, to be able to tell I don't have a soul?"

She had given him a smile that reflected all the emotions in his chuckle. "A miko. How does one go about giving away their soul?"

Though he hadn't known what a miko was when they began their round of twenty questions, he soon found out it was something akin to a priestess, a mystic woman. The hour that it normally took to reach her home took four that night as they had so much to discuss. After all, it wasn't every day that they found a kindred spirit in all things supernatural. And it had been the first time Kyrian had found someone he could talk to that wasn't a part of the Dark Hunter circle, it was deeply refreshing.

* * *

As autumn leaves fell, so did he. Except he had fallen _in love_, and he was more than certain she had fallen for him as well.

Since summer, he had slacked off in his duties even more. Acheron and Artemis were becoming suspicious, but allowing him a certain amount of leeway. He had been serving for so many centuries and he wasn't breaking any rules. Not yet, at least. Though with each passing night he had come closer and closer to breaking a rule or two. He had lingered in Kagome's house each night a little bit longer each night. They had gone from having more conversation than looks and not-so-innocent touches to more looks and brushes of the hand and arms and knees than conversation.

Each night he tried to remember the reasons he had for leaving her presence. The only reason he remembered was death. And he tried to remember the reasons for why he wouldn't make love to her. He couldn't remember any anymore.

Then one night in the middle of autumn, he took their fate into his own hands. As they had been saying their lingering goodnights, he had leaned forward and kissed her. It had been nothing more than a quick, closed-mouth kiss until he had seen the way she looked at him. Her fingers had touched her bottom lip, and there had been a light blush dusting her cheeks, and her eyes were dark and hooded.

He had kissed her again. Longer and moving his lips against hers. She had been the first to wrap her arms around him, a willing sign that she wanted _that_ to continue. He had been the one to push it too far.

Kyrian had backed her back into her house easily, never stopping in his kissing of her, and closed her door with his foot. The streets of New Orleans were going to have to wait for the next night; that night was going to be Kagome's and his.

When Kagome had come home before sunset the day after, it had been with a resigned look. Kyrian had had the day to think over what they had done as well, and knew Kagome had come to the same conclusion as he.

When it had still be summer and their relationship had just been beginning to become something more, he had told her of all the rules that came with being a Dark Hunter. And they had broken a very important one. Romantic relationships were to be kept to one night, and last night had been theirs. He had not wanted for what he had with Kagome to be tied to only one night, but everything was against them.

Kyrian was ready to fight, though.

Yet Kagome made the decision for him.

"I love you Kyrian, I really do. So please remember that," she had said. "But... We both know outside of last night, nothing else can happen. I don't want to be the reason you're killed."

Kyrian had to chuckle at the irony of such a statement. The last time he had loved a woman, she had been the cause of his death. And now that he dared to love again, she was kicking him out so she wouldn't be the cause of his second death. He really had to stop loving women who would have a hand in his death, he mused. Yet, like a fool blinded by love, he was willing to fight against the rules that governed his existence.

Except she didn't want him to do that.

"So you'd rather have us both move on in our lives than try to find a way to be together?"

She had looked sad and defeated, ready to explain her reasons, but she nodded her head. "I don't want to try with your life on the line. I would rather love you from a distance than love you in death."

He could understand that. Even if he managed to keep his life, he couldn't guarantee hers. Artemis was not a goddess who let go of her possessions easily.

They shared a few more words, whispered phrases of love and unbroken routines, and one last kiss. Then he was gone, back to his job.

* * *

And in the twilight of winter, he came to realize what she had known since summer: they couldn't be together.

Their worlds and rules prevented it. _For now_, he would tell himself.

Her routine didn't change, and neither did his. She still walked through that back-street, though now bundled in a thick winter coat that could only stave off the coldness of the air. He still waited in the hiding spot from the first time he saw her, just to make sure she was all right.

She still paused there, but would only glance over. It took only a second, yet it seemed like one of the longest seconds he had ever endured. And then she would continue walking, never looking back. Kagome wasn't the kind of woman to look back, he knew that much after ten months. She looked forward, always with a bright smile toward whatever unseen future lay in wait for her. She was a woman who had been toyed with by fate and time, and embraced change with open arms.

Yet this time, she was seeing but she wasn't looking. She couldn't stop searching for him in the darkness of twilight, and he always searched for her from within it. All because of what he was, it was now all they could do. Stolen glances and unbroken schedules, longing and love that couldn't entirely be.

But one day... One day, he swore to find the way to be with her.

Until then, he was content to hide in the shadows of twilight and protect her from things she could kill herself. A dark knight, after all, was something he loved to be for her, even if it was unnecessary.

* * *

_Edited on 28 April 2010_


End file.
